The present invention relates to disk drives and more particularly the invention relates to improvements in units of the type which employ exchangeable, flexible magnetic disks.
Disk drive units are used in various places in digital data processing systems. The small size disk units are designed particularly for cooperation with magnetic disks having a flexible substrate; they are sometimes called floppy disks. The disk in such a unit is driven e.g. by a constant speed motor in that the disk is coupled to a motor-driven spindle.
A disk when coupled to the motor-driven spindle, cooperates with a transducer head for read (reproduce) and write (record) operations. The transducer head is positioned by a motor moving the head in radial direction to align the head with a particular track on the disk.
In some instances of employment, the disk unit is not permanently equipped with a particular disk, but the disks are exchangeable. Accordingly, the disks must be placed into the unit, one at a time, and coupled to the drive spindle for turning on a precisely predetermined axis. Whenever the currently used disk is to be exchanged for another one, the former disk must be removed from the spindle as well as from the unit. The exchange should take place in rather simple fashion, obviously without endangering the disk in any manner and without extensive manipulation.